On October 13, President Donald Trump announced that "peace has finally come to the Middle East." According to AFP, Trump made the statement during a speech at the Gaza Peace Summit held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, saying, "We have collectively achieved what everyone said was impossible.

"Referring to the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Türkiye under his Gaza peace initiative, Trump noted, "I was told it was the greatest deal that would never happen." He added, "Many warned that escalating conflicts in the Middle East could lead to World War III, but that will not happen."Prior to his speech, Trump, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed the "Gaza Peace Declaration" to lay the foundation for the future of the Gaza Strip.

While the document has not been made public, it is believed to include the terms of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the 20-point plan of Trump’s Gaza peace initiative. The summit, convened on short notice, was attended by leaders from around 20 major countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, as well as 34 global figures such as UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who expressed support for the Gaza ceasefire and peace initiative.

Trump remarked, "It is unusual to see leaders of the world’s most powerful and wealthiest nations seated at the back," expressing gratitude to the attending leaders for their presence at the Gaza Peace Declaration signing ceremony. Neither Israel nor Hamas, the parties to the ceasefire agreement, attended the summit. Iran was officially invited but did not send a delegation.

The summit, co-chaired by President el-Sisi, was delayed by approximately three hours due to Trump’s earlier address to the Israeli parliament (Knesset) running longer than expected. In a meeting with Trump prior to the summit, President el-Sisi expressed confidence, saying, "I was certain you were the only one who could end this war," and praised him as "the only person who can bring peace to the region." El-Sisi also awarded Trump Egypt’s highest civilian honor during the event.

Source: Yonhap News